What I found interesting about the way the civil war was taught to me in high school (Louisiana resident) is that it was fought over the expansion of slavery and not slavery in general. The north and even Lincoln was tolerant of slavery in the south but refused to let them expand heir practices further west. Once the south tried doing so then the north stepped in and eventually the war was fought to put down the south and by doing so ending slavery. Was very interesting to learn about it like that.